Stilt Walker Roy

Around 2013, a couple years after meeting my wife, the pair of us developed a silly interest in stilts. Not to use them ourselves, but to find amusement in watching others step around all high and awkward. YouTube became our playground, and somehow, we discovered Roy. 

Roy’s channel was pickled with videos of him stilt-walking across the British countryside, often at ridiculous heights and navigating over precarious ground. What made this all the more remarkable was that Roy was in his 70s. I was staggered. 

Just, the bizarre nature of it. His unassuming character. The fact that his channel had single-digit subscribers and his videos had barely any views. Watching him slam down onto a massive rural staircase was one of the craziest videos I’d ever seen. He was putting himself in real danger. I was absolutely gripped.

What started off as a laugh had become something more. I somehow felt invested. I must’ve, because I found Roy on Facebook and sent him a message. I wanted to let him know that I watched his videos in part admiration, and part disbelief. We exchanged pleasantries and shared email addresses.

Six or so years later, I decided to email him. He replied, telling me about the different-sized stilts he was eager to try — but couldn’t, due to ill health. Still, he seemed hopeful that he’d be able to return someday soon.

I ended up learning more about Roy. It was fascinating.

A different kind of daredevil

So many thoughts cross your mind when you watch Roy traverse damp, unforgiving land. Like, what are you doing? You could genuinely die.

By Roy’s own admission, he takes his peg stilts into areas where performance stilt-walkers would ordinarily avoid. But I think that’s the point, having spent time talking to him and watching his videos.

Roy seems to thrive on the challenge and the sense of accomplishment it brings, almost relishing the jeopardy of walking over incredibly uninviting surfaces — like mossy slabs or mushy fallen leaves. Roy was a different kind of daredevil. But he wouldn’t call himself that, he’d say “I’ve been enjoying being different for over 40 years.”

As a young boy, Roy was raised in a strict household and was made to adhere to curfews. It wasn’t until he turned 21 that Roy was allowed out after dark. Despite having to be in before sundown, Roy enjoyed exploring the natural wonders of Yorkshire, and spent a lot of time visiting open fields and coastal routes with his father.

Around the age of 8 or 9, Roy’s interest in stilts began to form while visiting the circus. Under big top tarpaulin (or canvas back then), he encountered professional stilt performers for the very first time. He was particularly drawn to one female stilt performer, and after a few years of the circus returning, he finally plucked up the courage to talk to her about stilt-walking.

During their conversation, she shared her ambition of attempting to stilt-walk over an extremely tough obstacle: a slimy concrete ford under a fast-flowing river. She revealed that she’d been trying to cross the ford for over 20 years but had never succeeded in making it across the entire width without the pressure of the water pushing the stilts out from under her, causing her to fall.

The stilt performer felt water but Roy felt fire. This fire sparked inside of him and continued to burn until he reached adulthood. At the age of 35, Roy took his first lofty strides as an extreme cross-country stilt walker.

EARTHY BROWNS & THE BOYS IN BLUE

Getting up at the crack of dawn to journey through the dense Durham countryside on 4ft stilts shows impressive commitment. Even more so when you consider Roy’s suffered several hard falls and injuries along the way. There’s a certain inevitability about what happens to Roy if he makes a mistake or accidentally stumbles. When he wears his long stilts it’s hard not to wince.

Another aspect to this whole thing: interaction with others, what’s that like? Those early morning dog walkers. Imagine if you saw him walking behind a bush, showing only his head and torso. You’d question whether you had fallen earlier and face-planted into a ripe patch of liberty caps.

Thankfully, Roy tries his best to stilt-walk during unsociable hours, before the dog walkers descend on the scene. However, that hasn’t stopped the ambling Tall Man from being courted by the badge. In the early days, Roy had to explain his morning activities to the police, who were likely alerted to his unusual hobby by hawk eye locals and keen morning walkers. Since their first face-off, Roy’s managed to build a good rapport with officers in the area.

Roy’s adventures have taken him through rural Durham, the Pembrokeshire coast, the Yorkshire Dales, and even as far north as the Scottish Cairngorm Mountains. Finding fresh slopes isn’t just for skiers. And as you can see from the screenshot above, snow is no extra boundary. Leaving stilt prints in the snow must feel liberating, albeit a little like something out of a post-apocalyptic machine creature film.

Regardless of what others may think or say, Roy has been taking his passion into territory the average man or woman would plead not to go — especially wearing stilts. In that sense, he puts us all to shame. A cult classic from the wooded underground: obscure, but marvellous all the same.

Roy’s last video was published on YouTube in 2023. I hope he’s alright and continues to use his stilts.

Watch Roy in action on his YouTube channel.